Protestors joined Ryan Lochte on stage at Dancing With The Stars (Photo : Getty Images/ Eric McCandless)
"Dancing With The Stars" contestant Ryan Lochte on Wednesday took to Instagram to address Monday evening's "Dancing with the Stars" protester issue, and also for the first time, acknowledged Playboy Playmate Kayla Rae Reid as his girlfriend.
According to NY Mag, it was just one month ago that the Olympic swimmer and drunken frat boy Ryan Lochte denied to have relationship with Playmate Kayla Rae Reid, assuring all his fans that he was still DTF on Tinder.
However, after the near-death encounter of getting "a little hurt" when protestors went to the stage during his Monday debut on "Dancing With the Stars," finally the Olympic swimmer is ready to reveal his truth: Yes, he is actually dating Reid, People reported.
In the Instagram post, the 32-year-old Lochte thanked his "friends, family, girlfriend and fans" for their great support after the incident, and even went so far as to tag Reid.
#DWTS #family #dancingwiththestars
A photo posted by Ryanlochte (@ryanlochte) on Sep 14, 2016 at 11:57am PDT
The "girlfriend" in question appears to be Reid, 25, who first made a debut on Lochte's Instagram in April.
"Red light love!!! #Rayla," he captioned a selfie of the duo at a red light, Lochte was seen blowing a kiss her way.
All smiles with this one #swag #kiss A photo posted by Ryanlochte (@ryanlochte) on Sep 10, 2016 at 8:31pm PDT
A month later, he shared a picture of himself enjoying dinner with his mother and Reid: "Dinner with MY two gems: my mom and @kaylaraereid."
Reid also shared her own glimpses of the pair's relationship over the months, including a video of Lochte assisting her box and a shot of the two sharing a sweet kiss.
Despite Lochte's much-talked about Tinder activity going up to the summer 2016 Olympics, Reid ended up tagging along with the swimmer in Rio and snapping photos with his family, which set off romance rumors.
Reid was not shy about expressing off their budding relationship, posting sweet supportive snaps of Lochte on Instagram - but during interview in Rio in a Today show after completing his last race, the swimmer denied having a girlfriend and confirmed his Tinder account was still on.
"The word around the village is the beach volleyball players," Lochte said when asked about his Tinder plans. "From what I recall back in 2012, the Netherlands' field hockey [team] - that was a big hit in 2012."
And while he confessed to have not spent time with either team yet, he said he expected that to change soon.
"I have not been able ... to see them around," he said. "Now that I am available ..."
However, when Lochte returned to the U.S after the Olympics, and after his robbery claim turned into an international incident, Reid was right by his side.
The couple was spotted walking through Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina on Aug. 17, and a few days later, a picture of the two returning to Lochte's apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina was seen.
In the recent weeks, Lochte and Reid have going above and beyond showing off their romance on Instagram, and Reid also expressed her support by attending Lochte's "DWTS" debut this week.
"Love is all you need," Reid captioned a picture of the two sharing a sweet kiss on Tuesday.
Love is all you need. ❤️ A photo posted by KAYLA RAE REID (@kaylaraereid) on Sep 13, 2016 at 1:40pm PDT
Previosuly Lochte documented his search for love on his short-lived reality show and the gold medal-winning athlete previously told PEOPLE that he was looking for someone who could make him laugh.
He said, "Honestly, if she can make me laugh, then I am pretty much sold." And that if she is not funny, then she is taking life too seriously and that is definitely not how he live his life. "I have fun in any aspect of life."
"Dancing with the Stars" premieres on Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here is a video of protesters rushing to the stage during Ryan Lochte's "Dancing With The Stars" Debut:
